Relocating to work in Ireland

Our IT Recruitment Consultant, Vlad Pop gives some great tips on making a successful move to work in Ireland.

Many of us are afraid of big changes in our lives. From changing your car or apartment to changing jobs – everything effects our life from that moment onward. But how about moving to another country? It’s a new and big start! If you are considering moving to Ireland for work; here are some pointers on how to make the relocation process easier!

8 Tips for a Successful Move:

1. €uros: First of all before you move to Ireland, you will need to have some money to spend on your MUST HAVE/BUY/GET things. If you don’t really know how much to bring; here is a site that will roughly compare the prices in the city you live in, with the ones in the city you’re moving to. http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

2. PPSN Number: Immediately after you have moved here, you need a PPSN (Personal Public Service Number). You will need a valid address to procure it -try to get one from a friend or you can use the one from the Hotel / B&B / Hostel where you’re staying. you can find all the details at: welfare.ie

3. Bank Account: The next thing is the bank account. It will take 3-5 days to get the PPSN in the post, after which you can go to any bank and open an account. You will not be able to do that without the PPSN.

(On a personal note, I would suggest avoiding the central offices as they may be overcrowded and processing can take 2-3 weeks instead of 1. That’s not a rule, so explore your options).

4. Mobile Phone: Next up is the mobile phone/internet – to find a job, keep in touch with people, use google maps, etc. you will need to use your phone and of course your old SIM just won’t do. So from some peoples’ perspective there are 2 very reasonable options: either a network with very “cheap to call” offers (Lyca Mobile) or all you can eat data with some credit on the side in case you need it for a few calls (Three Mobile).

www.lycamobile.ie/ – €10 top up and you get down to 1 c/m calls in some countries around the world

www.three.ie/Switch_To_Three‎ – €20 top-up and you get all you can eat data for a month and 20 Euro worth of calls +free messages on all networks

5. Accomodation:You will probably have to send an intention letter to formally present yourself to be able to apply for a rent as some owners/renters won’t post their phone numbers. Also the gumtree.ie is an all in one site, so you can also buy and get all sorts of stuff from there.

6. Finding a job: To find a job when you arrive: it can be helpful to have followed the steps above. Once you have an Irish number etc. this can be easier when you have arrived. It can also be useful to check out the below sites before you relocate to get a feel for the type of jobs on offer in the Irish market. Here you have some sites that are most used:

7. Transport: Commuting is fairly expensive in Ireland: if it’s either by train or bus, so you might want to save as much as you can. What most people do is acquire a LEAP CARD – https://www.leapcard.ie/ You can find it at any local store and it’s €5 to buy (you will be able to use that money of course) and you can top up all sorts of travel plans like 30 days travel (non-consecutive – you activate it only on the day of use) and you can take as many buses as you want at around €4-5. Another option is to top up a sum of money and you can get a fair discount on every trip (Bus, Luas and Train).

8. Get social: Now that you have sorted everything you need to make some friends. Well you’ll have no problems there, just go to any local pub – have a few pints and start talking to people; you’ll find them rather friendly!

If that doesn’t work, then try http://www.meetup.com/ You can find all sort of groups with different hobbies from photography, walks, drinks, dancing/party, sports, arts, music/concerts/gigs and much more. And after (or before) you make friends maybe you want to visit the country and see why it’s called The Emerald Island – http://www.discoverireland.ie/places-to-go Enjoy!